City Cast Twin Cities

Minnesota mentioned!! But in the worst way. We’ll talk about what President Trump said at the State of the Union and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey’s appearance at the counter-address. Minnesota writers are addressing the moment at the Loft Literary Center. We’ll get a sneak preview. Plus, Owamni is hosting a dinner to commemorate Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives. There’s an excellent menu...

St. Anne’s Place, a shelter for families, was attacked by its very own neighbors across the street in the fall of 2024. But instead of finding justice through punishment, they asked for mercy for one of the assailants. Director Cheryl Paynes shares how staff sought to repair relationships with their neighbors. Plus, when Sen. Susan Pha realized she was potentially breaking the law by foraging for...

It has been an exhausting few months for everyone in the Twin Cities, and taking a quick weekend trip is a great way to regain some energy and keep going. Today, Host Sean McPherson is joined by contributor Sam Choo and food writer Kirstie Kimball of beyond beurre blanc to recommend four places to get away within two and a half hours of the Twin Cities. Isi Breen, an organizer with the Twin Cities...

What does it take to create groundbreaking and timely documentaries about Minnesota? We ask acclaimed director Daniel Bergin at Twin Cities PBS, who needs more room for all his Emmys. Bergin talks about empathy as an interviewing skill and pioneering the Black narrative space of public media. Plus, we’re looking forward to so many cool events this week, like Dildo Bingo and a 5k race in the skyway...

Everyone’s talking about AI these days, including residents of the Twin Cities. And now, more data centers are popping up across the country, thanks in part to the AI revolution. But some cities are stemming the tide, including Madison, Wisconsin, who recently passed a one-year moratorium on new data center construction. City Cast CEO David Plotz feels strongly that this was the wrong choice! He’s...

Minnesota state Sen. Scott Dibble joins host Sean McPherson and contributor Tane Danger for a look ahead at the 2026 legislative session and to share what it has been like returning to the Capitol for the first time since the assassinations of Melissa and Mark Hortman, the Annunciation school shooting, and ICE's surge in Minnesota. Later, producer Adam Sage joins the conversation to discuss Minnes...

We’ve seen ICE smash car windows, ram into cars, and get aggressive when making arrests. Who pays for the damages? Chuck Slane, owner and attorney at TSR Injury Law, talks about the complicated, time-consuming way to sue ICE, and why he thinks it’s worth it. Racket co-owner and City Cast contributor Em Cassel tells us how cash mobs are sustaining Lake Street businesses. Plus, the coolest club in t...

We answer a listener from Portland who wants to know if he should move his family to the Twin Cities. Later, we’re joined by former Minneapolis police chief Medaria Arradondo, aka Chief Rondo, whose tenure included the murder of George Floyd. Chief Rondo reflects on his past job, what he’d do differently, and how he would respond to ICE if he were still in charge.  Learn more about the topics disc...

As Twin Cities restaurants face economic strain and ICE enforcement fallout, we’re resharing some of our favorite food conversations. Writer Ali Elabbady walks us through the best African food across the metro, Sean defends his 135% correct ranking of the Top 5 chicken wings in the Twin Cities, and we revisit beyond beurre blanc’s Kirstie Kimball’s ambitious list of the best restaurants across Min...

In this inaugural episode of “Your City Could Be Better,” City Cast CEO David Plotz talks with City Cast Twin Cities podcast host Sean McPherson about the local collective action efforts that cropped up throughout Operation Metro Surge. Immigration agents are expected to withdraw from the Twin cities over the next week.  Sean shares stories of how his community self-organized, why these networks h...

Is it really over? Well, not quite yet. White House Border Czar Tom Homan announced Thursday he was ending Operation Metro Surge, and agents are expected to leave within the next two weeks. Why now? We consider three reasons. Plus, we share our best and worst Twin Cities dating stories and chat about a new City Cast podcast that focuses on what our cities are doing right and wrong.  Learn more abo...

About 17 assistant U.S. attorneys remain in Minnesota following a wave of departures from the office at the start of the year. Joe Thompson, a former prosecutor in the Feeding Our Futures fraud case, resigned last month and has joined Don Lemon’s defense team as the Justice Department seeks to prosecute him. Contributor and celebrated local journalist Winter Keefer joins host Sean McPherson to bre...

The guardrails that protect immigrants’ rights are being bowled over by the Trump administration. A federal court decision handed down last week means more people detained in Minnesota will be quickly shipped out to Texas for an indefinite period of time. We’ll talk about what that means for immigrants’ rights. We’re also pressing play on a 30-artist mixtape, which has raised more than $1,600 for...

"Filter blockades" are popping up at intersections around the Twin Cities as residents are employing a new technique to slow down federal immigration enforcement. Host Sean McPheron is joined by Racket co-founder Em Cassel and producer Tiffany Bui to discuss the purpose, effectiveness, and outcomes of these blockades. The team also offers up recommendations on how to spend Valentine's Day in the T...

Cherise Ayers is the celebrated Principal of Saint Paul Central. Ayers joins host Sean McPherson to explain how she fights chaos with consistency and why she keeps an emergency pom-pom in the car so she can always celebrate one of her students. Later, MPR Newsroom coordinator and City Cast contributor Denzel Belin highlights events for this Valentine’s Day week, and we feature Crescent Moon and An...

After Border czar Tom Homan announced that 700 immigration enforcement officers would leave Minnesota, reports emerged that county sheriffs were exploring ways to honor "ICE detainers" despite state law barring them from holding inmates beyond their release dates. It's legally complicated, and thankfully Ana Pottratz Acosta, a visiting law professor at the University of Minnesota and a lawyer spec...

Tom Homan, the White House border czar, announced on Wednesday that 700 federal agents will be drawing back from Minnesota. But the president’s goal of mass deportation is still front and center. We’ll talk about how local law enforcement is collaborating with federal immigration and what Homan has to say to protesters in the streets. Director Siddeeqah Shabazz tells us about her stellar all-kid c...

St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her took office just three days before Renee Macklin Good was killed by ICE agent Jonathan Ross. Today she joins host Sean McPherson and contributor Tane Danger to reflect on what has worked, what hasn't worked, and how she plans to lead the city after a chaotic first month in charge. Learn more about the topics discussed in today's episode: St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her replaces...

Operation Metro Surge faced another test in federal court this weekend, and while a judge declined to pause the operation for now, her words signaled just how devastating its impact has been across Minnesota. We break down what the ruling actually means, why Columbia Heights schools are under intense strain, and why Liam Conejo Ramos’ return home still matters when so many other children remain de...

Tish Jones is an award-winning, trailblazing poet and the executive director of TruArtSpeaks. The arts collective, which focuses on nurturing young artists through the medium of hip-hop and Spoken Word, is celebrating 20 years. Jones reflects on the highlights and discusses her poem “The Children Are Watching,” performed at a Timberwolves game earlier this month. Also, we’re making “enjoy the worl...

With border czar Tom Homan now heading up ICE operations in the Twin Cities, many folks are positioning him as a more moderate voice than the previous leadership – but is that true? Host Sean McPherson is joined by contributor PaviElle French to dig into Homan's background, what he's been saying now, and why protests of ICE's occupation seem noticeably "whiter" than protests following the murder o...

Every movement needs some music. The Twin Cities United Performers put out a call for protest music and got an overwhelming response. Organizers Nadi of Gully Boys and Dante of  Space Monkey Mafia and Runaway Ricochet talk about how musicians are meeting the moment. Plus, we’ve heard your complaints about St. Paul’s plowing. We bring on Sean Kershaw, director of Public Works for the city, who says...

Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino has been sent back to California, where he is expected to return to his previous job and retire soon. In the meantime, President Trump has sent in border czar Tom Homan to head up ICE's ongoing operations in the Twin Cities. Host Sean McPherson and contributor Tane Danger break down what this means for the Twin Cities, and unpack an ongoing court case that could...

Have you ever wondered which Twin Cities restaurant has the best toilet paper? Amber runs Twin Cities Toilet Paper Reviews and talks about how TP helped her find community. Em Cassel, contributor and co-owner of Racket, shares a story about how Copper Hen on Eat Street opened its doors to protesters over the weekend. We also get fancy-shmancy and predict which Minnesota restaurants and chefs will...

The Twin Cities are reeling after federal agents killed two residents in less than three weeks. Sean McPherson talks with Creative Producers Tiffany Bui and Adam Sage about the latest events of the weekend before we start the original episode we had planned, where poet and activist Kyle Tran Myhre discusses what artists can do in a time of crisis – from convening audiences to turning poetry, zines...